Kmart reopened at Charlestown Square on Thursday after a 15-year hiatus, drawing eager shoppers who lined up from 8am. The discount department store occupies the former Target space, which was renovated for the transition.
The store is part of Wesfarmers' strategy to convert select Target locations into Kmart, driven by the success of its Anko brand. Anko reportedly sold over one billion items and accounted for 85% of store sales in 2024. A similar conversion occurred at Stockland Green Hills in 2020.
Shoppers praised the convenience of having both Kmart and Big W under one roof. Lake Macquarie mother Taela Barnett, shopping with her daughter Kailee, said, 'It's so much better having it at Charlestown. We're from Swansea, so if we want to go to Big W and Kmart we usually need to go to two places at once.' She bought Christmas decorations and gifts, noting the store was well-stocked.
Charlestown Square's general manager of marketing, Simon Burrett, said customer feedback drove the decision. 'We like to keep in touch with what our customers are looking for and certainly we've had a strong sentiment that people would like it if we had a Kmart,' he said.
The shopping centre will also welcome the Hunter region's first Adidas and W Cosmetics stores before Christmas. Adidas will open on level two near Reading Cinemas, and W Cosmetics on the first level near Big W. Both are the first of their kind outside Sydney in NSW.
Kmart previously operated at Charlestown Square before the centre's $470 million expansion in 2010. The brand now has 449 stores across Australia and New Zealand, with existing outlets in Waratah, Glendale, Kotara, Green Hills, and Salamander Bay.
